Friction-clutch.



C. 0. WOOD.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED 050.17.1917.

13 Patented. Oct 22, 1918.

3 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

@Ittoz neg C. O. WOOD.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 17. 1917.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 C. O. WOOD.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.17, 1912.

, Patented Oct, 22,1918."

3 SHEETS-S HEET 3- rr ate a are.

cHaitLns 0. WOOD, or CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

iaeaece.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. WOOD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at' Chambersburg, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, U. S. A., have invented certain new and 'useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and.

' marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to friction clutches, and has for its object an improved construction of clutch, such as shown in my Patent Number 796,886, dated August 8,1905, in order to facilitate the assembling of the clutch by eliminating all riveted parts, and in order to enable it to be operated by an ordinary cone. At the same time the lock- 'ance the centrifugal forcesproduced .at the higher speeds during the rotation of the shaft, and each of these leve'rs is constructed to operate two draw bolts, instead of one as heretofore;

A further object is to enable the clutch to be applied inside of an ordinary belt pulley without having to cut off the hub of this pulley for the application of the clutch. To this end the friction ring or rings is suspended loosely on pins inserted in the arms or spokes of the pulley, so that the ring is in efiect a floating ring that will automatically clear the opposing glutch faces when Y Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the locking levers.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of clutch with a single floating friction ring. I

Fig. 1 is a modification of Fig. 3, showing two floating friction plates.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

application filed Mater 11, 1917; Serial No. 207,507.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing means for providing fixed and positive load points for the actuating lever.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of a pivot bar for the locking levers.

Fig. 7 shows a modified arrangement of pivots for the locking levers.

Fig. 8 is a detail showing a structure the converse of that shown in Fig. 7

Fig.9 is a side elevation partly in longi tudinal section embodying the structures shown in-Figs, 4:, 6 and 7.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on line 9-9 of Fig. 9. 1

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I have shown my clutchas a cut-off coupling in which. the operating elements of the clutch are usually secured'to the driving shaft, as 1, and the clutched element as secured to the driven shaft, 2, the two shafts having their abutting ends Within the hub 3 of a pulley protecting casing orequivalent 4, whereby said shaft ends are maintained in alinement.

Within the casing 1- is mounted a friction ring 5, arranged to have axial motion by reason of a slot and feather connection 6, 7.

Mounted on the driving shaft 1 is a hub 8 provided with a flange 9 operating as a friction plate and arranged to engage one face of the friction ring 5. This friction ring may be of cast iron, of cast iron with cork or wood inserts, of fiber, of steel plate or of wood.

. Said flange or friction plate 9 has on its clutching face a lug 10 projecting within the ring 5, and'between spaced lugs 11 on a friction plate 12 engaging the opposite face of the ring 5; or I may reverse this construction and form the luglO on the plate 12 and the spaced lugs 11 on the plate 9. These lugs prevent the circular displacement of the friction plates 9 and 12 with respect to one another.

In the friction plate 12 are bolts 13 having spreader springs 14.- thereon. These bolts pass through the opposite friction plate 9, and alsothrough holes 15 (Fig. 2) in the laterally projecting arms 16 of two locking levers l7, and are held in these levers by nuts 18 and lock nuts 19. The holes 15 are sufiiciently larger than the bolts to allow the arms 16 to rock and assume an angular position with respect to the axes of the bolts. Adjacent the holes 15 in the head of each T-shaped lever 17 are V-shaped recesses 20 into which take short fiat toggles 21 whose opposite ends rest in seats 22 on the plate A cone 23 is provided with fllOOSQ-SPlll? collar 24 having trunnions 25 to which the shifting lever for the clutch is attached.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a pulley, (or it may be any other wheel, such as a gear wheel,) i loose on the driving shaft 1, and prevented from longitudinally moving on the shaft by a collar, as is customary, and in the arms of this pulley I secure pins 23' on which the friction ring 5 is loosely mounted, said frictionring 5 projecting beyond the edges of the plates '12 and 9 sufficiently for the formation of'bosses 24 through which the pins 23 -pass. The ring 5 is free to move axially on the pins 23, two or more of which will be provided according to the s1ze of the pulley and the power required. In other respects the clutch is of the same struct-ure as that shown in Fig. 1.

" inserts of cork or wood a.

' sides of the shaft. These In Fig. 4 I have shown two friction rings 5 mounted on pins 23 and having suitable Between these rings I provide a friction plate 25 carried on the bolts 13, and instead of using a single spring on these bolts 13 I use two springs '14, one between the plate 12 and the middle plate 25, and another between the middle plate 25 and the plate 9. Such a construction doubles the friction surface and increases the power of the clutch.

The plates 12 and 25 are carried on the bolts 13 and are free to be moved axially by the springs 14c when the locking levers 16, 17 are released by the cone 23, and the rings 5" are free to automatically slide axially on their pins 23 so as to efit'ectually clear the plates. In other respects the structure is similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 I have shown aplate 26 connecting the lateral projections 16 or arms of the head of the T-shaped levers 17 on opposite plates 26 are provided with lugs27, (Fig. 6) on each side of the holes 28 for the passage of the bolts 13.

These lugs are somewhat hook-shaped and seat in recesses 29 in the lateral arms 16 of the locking-levers and prevent these levers from Wabbling when the cone 23 is applied to cause the clutch to engage, prevent the levers and bolts from spreading when the clutch is engaged, and furnish positive bearing points for the levers, so that the centrifugal forces on these levers will be overcome. It will be noted that the T-heads 16 of the levers 17 contain considerably moremetal than their tails. so that the center of mass will lie Within the heads. The heads are inclined toward the plate 9, as in Fig. 1, when in clutched position. Should the cone become removed from the tails of the levers 17, the centrifugal force will tend to bring the lugs from their inclined position Fig. 1,

to the radial position and thereby release the clutch. \Vhen plates 26 are used this is prevented.

The locking levers may directly engage the friction plate 9, thereby omitting the separate toggle levers 21 and facilitating the construction and assemblage of the clutch. This direct engagement of the friction late may be eifected either through the mot f of a lug on the plate and a recess or sent in the locking lever, or conversely by a lag on tllle locking lever and a recess or seat on the p ate.

In Fig. 7 I have shown the ends 16 of the locking levers as engaging fixed pivot lugs 30 cast integral with and projecting from the inactive face of the plate 9, the pivot points I sing shifted nearer to the edge of the plate than is the case when toggles are used, and the ends of the arms 16 are provided with-a recess, shoulder, or rabbet 31, seating on the lugs 30 that provide non-movable pivots for the locking levers. These levers may also be provided with plates 26 to prevent the levers and bolts 13 from spreading, as in Fig. 5, and such plates will also prevent the levers 16, 17 from twisting and thereby prevent the shoulders 31 from accidentally slipping off the ends of the lugs 30.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the converse of Fig. 7, where the locking levers 16, 17 are provided with a pivot lug 30 resting in a recess 31 in the plate 9 secured to shaft 1.

In these two figures the lugs 30 and 30 constitute means between the friction plate 9 and the toggle levers 16 whereby these levers are prevented from contacting with the plate.

. In Figs. 9 and 10 I have illustrated the structure of Figs. 4, 6 and 7 as combined in the same clutch.

It will be noted that in all the figures of drawings the axially movable friction plate is supported on and the preferred arrangement of the T-shaped locking levers 16, 17, is that in which these levers have direct engagement'with the friction plate 9, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The number of locking levers 16, 17, is materially reduced, so that in the small clutches it is necessary to use but two of these locking levers which are symmetrically arranged about the axis of the clutch ie., when tWo' locking levers are used they contact with the cone at diametrically opposite points and operate on four bolts 13.

The T-shaped levers are so. constructed that the heads 16 are balanced as nearly as may be by the tails 17, so that at high speeds the centrifugal forces exerted by these two parts of the levers will also be balanced and the clutch will not be thrown out of engagement. It will be noted that the lateral arms of these levers never touch the plate 9 under any condition of operanun tion. This will enable the levers to operate notwithstanding a large amount of wear between the clutching surfaces, and insures pivotal action of the levers at all times.

As will be noticed more particularly in Figs. 5 and 8, the edge of recesses 29 takes under the hook-shaped lugs 27 and pivots at this point of engagement, the centrifugal forces acting on the levers being balanced with respect to this pivot point. 2

I claim 1. In a friction clutch, a friction ring, friction plates cooperating With said ring, bolts passing through said' plates, locking levers fulcrumed on one-of said plates and having lateral arms through which said bolts pass,'means engaged by said arms arranged with respect to said levers and fulcrum -points to substantially balance the centrifugal force exerted on said levers, and a cone for actuating said levers.

2. In a friction clutch, a frictlon ring,

friction plates cooperatingwith' said ring,

bolts passing through said plates, locking levers each having a pair of lateral arms,

plates each connecting an arm of one lever with an arm of another lever and having means thereon to prevent said levers from spreading, and forming a positive bearing for said arms, each of said bolts passing a through an arm and one end of a plate, and

a cone for actuating said levers.

3'. In a; friction clutch, an axially movable friction plate, T-shaped levers for moving said plate, means between the friction plate and said levers on which they rock, whereby said levers are maintained spaced from said plate under all conditions of operation, bolts passing through said plate and thelateral arms of said levers, springs on said bolts, and a loose cone engaging the tails or said levers for operating them.

4. In a frictionclutch, a wheel, pins thereon projecting therefrom, a friction ring free to move axially on said pins, friction plates on opposite sides of said ring, T-shaped locking levers, means between one of said plates and the levers on which they pivot, bolts passing through said plates, the center of said ring and the arms of said locking levers, said arms being out of contact with the cooperating plate under all conditions of operation, springson said bolts and engaging with their opposite ends said plates, and a cone directly engaging the tails of said locking levers, said springs urging said plates apart and the tails of the levers against the cone.

5. In a friction clutch, a wheel, pins projecting therefrom, a friction ring supported on said pins and free to move axially thereon, friction plates on opposite sides of said ring, T-shaped locking levers having rabbets, a projection on one of said rings engaged by said rabbets, bolts passing through said plates, the center. of the ring and the arms of the locking levers, said arms being out of contact with the cooperating plate under all conditions of operation, springs on said bolts whose opposite ends engage the friction plates, and'a cone directly engaging the tails of said levers at points nearer the axis of the clutch than said bolts and rabbets.

6. In a friction clutch, a friction plate, levers fulcrumed on the inactive face of said plate and having T-shaped heads, a plate connecting the levers in pairs and in ful- 'crllmed contact with said levers, bolts pass presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES O. WOOD.

Witnesses: i

GEO. M. NAYLOR, G. H. Woon. 

